A SIM card is a smart card (a form of integrated circuit card) that is used with a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) cellular phone to encrypt voice and data transmissions and store user data permitting user identification and authentication on a network providing phone service. The SIM card also stores data such as the preferred phone settings of the user and a list of commonly dialled telephone numbers. A SIM card can be moved between telephones, and more than one SIM card can be used with one phone. For example, a cellular telephone with a first installed SIM card may be used for business calls, and the same telephone with a second installed SIM card may be used for personal calls.
To facilitate the use of SIM cards as described above, many cellular telephones incorporate a SIM card holder that permit a SIM card to be easily installed without tools. For example, one known type of SIM card holder essentially consists of a rigid “pocket” that is mounted flat against a printed circuit board (PCB) within the telephone unit. A SIM card is inserted into the pocket with a sliding motion. The holder has elastic electrical contacts which come into contact with contact pads on the SIM card to form an electrical connection between the PCB and the inserted card. In certain holders of this type, about one half of the footprint (i.e. extent) of the inserted SIM card (the half with the contact pads) is within the holder when the card is inserted. The remaining half of the SIM card footprint extends beyond the holder and lies in a plane that is parallel to and slightly above the surface of the PCB. Below the extending half of the card, only low-profile components, e.g. resistors or capacitors that are no more than about 1 millimeter in height, are mounted to the PCB surface, to avoid mechanically obstructing the overlying SIM card.
Use of the above-described type of SIM card holder may be problematic in that PCB components even beyond the footprint of the installed SIM card may need to be kept clear of the plane of the SIM card in order to facilitate card insertion and removal. For example, if the holder is centrally mounted on a PCB, it may be necessary to refrain from mounting high-profile components in area adjacent to the holder that is the same size as the entire SIM card footprint. This is so that the SIM card may be laid flat against the PCB surface in order to position it for insertion into the pocket. A PCB designer may be impeded from utilizing desired components in this adjacent area as a result.
An alternative integrated circuit card holder which addresses the above-noted problem would be desirable.